Bathing Beauty
by Regii the Lunar Wolf
Summary: Valentines gift for my love, Moonlit Assassin. Ruby's always liked Sapphire. But what exactly do you do when you walk in on them in an awkward moment? Franticshipping, RubyxSapphire. Rated T for nudity and sexual references.


Did I ever tell anyone that I loved Franticshipping? No? Well now I have.

I've just finished the R/S Manga, and I had to write this. I couldn't NOT write something about this.

Well, here goes…

Disclaimer: Pokemon does not belong to me. Ruby and Sapphire belong to the Pokemon Manga.

-/-/-/-

"There! All done!"

Ruby placed the comb and brush on the desk next to him, leaning down and picking up his Pokemon. His Delcatty, Coco, meowed in approval and nuzzled his face gently, causing the sixteen-year-old to laugh.

"Alright Coco, I'll let you rest now," Ruby picked up her Pokeball and recalled her, placing it back on his belt and standing up, slipping his hat and bandana on, "But… after all that, the soap suds from Zuzu and Nana's baths are making me dizzy… I need a walk…"

Ruby picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, grinning as he slipped his hands into his pockets and headed downstairs. His mother was at the table, watching TV. Passing, Ruby saw, once again, his father on the television, talking about Pokemon and Gym Battles. Ruby pulled a face and his mother noticed him.

"Ruby, where are you going?"

"Walk," Ruby commented simply, "I won't be too long."

"Alright… be back before dark!" His mother warned, and Ruby's face flushed a little.

"Mum, I'm not a kid anymore!"

"Alright sweetie… maybe you could see Sapphire, she likes going out on walks with you."

Ruby thought for a moment, but it didn't need much consideration; "Sure, I'll go see if she wants to come."

With that, the ruby-eyed boy left his house and travelled the short distance across town to the Professor's Lab. His mind drifted to the blue-eyed, wild-like brunette, and a small blush crept across his face. Five years ago, they'd confessed that they'd liked each other, although the two never really spoke much about it since. Ruby wondered if she even remembered it, but those words would always remain stuck in his head.

"…I like you…"

Ruby raised a hand gently and rubbed the vivid scar under his hat, a sheer reminder of why he'd switched from battling to contests and why Sapphire had gone from a sweet, beautiful girl to the wild, animal-like woman she was now. Maybe he could try to jog her memory while they were out today.

Arriving at the lab, Ruby raised a hand and knocked on the door. A moments pause before the door opened, and a man poked his head out, a mess of black hair and a black beard with a white lab coat. His eyebrow arched as he spotted Ruby on the front doorstep.

"Oh, hello Ruby! A pleasure to see you!"

"Hello Professor Birch!" Ruby gave a wide smile and a nod in acknowledgement, "Is Sapphire in?"

"I'm afraid she isn't…" Ruby's heart sank at the Professor's words, "She went off for a walk a while ago, she isn't back yet."

"I see…" Ruby frowned a little, "Well... sorry for wasting your time, Professor…"

"Not at all!" The Professor smiled, "Sapphire's gone to route 101 for a bit, she'll be back… hopefully soon."

"Alright… I'll go see if I can't find her."

Ruby turned as the door closed, beginning to walk away and out of town. His heart rose again as he began to think of Sapphire. The girl he was best friends with, a great companion, and… the one he really liked.

"I like you too…"

The memory of his own words to her flashed in his mind, and his face warmed up a little. Strolling into Route 101, his feet hit grass and dirt as he began to search around for his friend. She wasn't in the usual places she would go, like in the trees or in her Secret Spot. Finally, Ruby decided to give up and head back. Turning, though, his eye caught something that gained his attention.

Against a small rock in the ground, was a small hole, looking a little like the entrance to Sapphire's secret base. Ruby leaned down, and realised it was big enough to crawl into. Sighing, he shook his head in dismay; "Sapphire, if you've gone in there…"

'Go on,' his mind encouraged, 'a bit of exploring never hurt you.'

Ruby shrugged at his own thoughts and crawled in. The tunnel was damp, dirty and surprisingly warm. Ruby squeezed his way through, wrestling the urge to gag at the amount of mud and dirt sticking to his clothes. Finally, after what seemed like several feet and a few minutes, he could see light from the other end. Scrambling feebly, he dashed for it and wriggled his way out, standing up and stretching. Glancing around, he couldn't help a gasp of surprise at the new scenery.

A large, sparkling, clear lake was spread out in front of him, reflecting the sunlight from the sky. Trees grew neatly around the body of water, a gentle gradient of about thirty degrees constantly lead from the trees to the water, and there wasn't a muddy patch or dead plant in sight. Ruby loved beautiful things, but this seriously took the biscuit in his book.

A sudden noise caught his attention, and he glanced down towards the water. Someone was standing near the water, but Ruby could tell who it was from the brown hair and the clothes that he himself had made for her.

"Sapphire…"

The girl was too far away from him to hear, and simply stared out over the water. Ruby was about to call out to her, but at that moment, the girl in question did something that made Ruby's heart jolt several beats.

Gently, Sapphire reached up and pulled her bandana off, dropping it to the soft grass nearby. She sat down and began to take her shoes off, throwing them aside next to her bandana, as well as her socks. Her gloves came off next, landing neatly next to her bandana as she stretched. She stood back up and reached down, and at that moment, Ruby's heart jolted even more.

"Oh my Arceus, is she…?!"

Ruby knew it was wrong. He knew he should give her some privacy, he knew that if she found out, she'd hate him forever and ever for watching her do this, but for some reason… he couldn't look away. His eyes were glued to her, his eyebrows in his hair and his eyes the size of dinner plates, his mouth hanging agape.

Gently, Sapphire slowly removed her shirt, as if to (unknowingly) taunt the hidden boy in the bushes. She regarded the item closely, as if scrutinizing it, and then did something that was amazingly bizarre from Ruby's standards. She gently folded up the item of clothing as neatly as she could and placed it next to her other things, before removing her shorts and doing the same with them. Finally, her back still turned to him, her undergarments dropped and landed in a heap on top of them. The wild girl near the pool stretched her arms into the air, arching her back and giving a loud yawn that Ruby could even hear from the bushes.

The boy in question however wasn't so relaxed. He'd just unknowingly walked in on his crush stripping in broad daylight and had done something so perverted he felt disgusted… and yet, he couldn't look away. Slowly and a little hesitantly, he turned his eyes back on the girl, who had slipped down into the water and had sat herself against the side. Ruby's hands twisted in his pockets as he slowly stood up, beginning to walk forward towards her, his feet almost making no sound. The closer he got, the more beautiful she got to him. He slipped close to her, and hid behind a large rock that was near her on the bank of the lake and sat down as quietly as he could, watching her softly.

Sapphire didn't seem to notice his presence near her and had her eyes closed, in the water up to her neck, sighing deeply and her lips parting ever so gently. Her arms moved up and gently slid behind her head, relaxing herself even more. Ruby realised, with a sudden twinge that he was sitting so close to the girl he loved, who was completely naked and bathing in clear water right next to him.

Sapphire's loud sigh of content broke his thoughts as the girl's head leaned back, showing her slender neck to the sky; "Arceus… this is so relaxing…"

"Sure is," Ruby added, before realising what he'd just done and almost smacking himself mentally with a metal pole; 'Dammit, you IDIOT!!'

Sapphire's eyes snapped open and her head spun so fast it could make a Hitmontop dizzy. Her beautiful blue eyes only grew wider when she saw Ruby looking at her from the rock, a small smile on his face. The two stared at each other for a few minutes, both of their faces rising in both colour and heat.

"…WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Sapphire almost screamed, several Tailow from a nearby tree flying away in shock. Ruby braced himself, but tried to keep it cool as Sapphire screamed; "HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HERE?!"

"Not long…" Ruby lied, and it obviously showed because Sapphire's eyes grew furious, "H-honestly, I didn't mean to walk in on you! I'm serious!"

"How did you get here?" Sapphire's teeth had bared, her fangs glinting as she stared at him furiously, "Tell me!"

"I… saw a hole, and I wanted to explore… I'm sorry, I really didn't know Sapphire!" Ruby cowered a little at the girl's rage, "Um… I… I'll leave…"

"…No," Sapphire sighed quietly, her rage fading, "I… It's my fault; I should have closed it up a bit better before I came in."

"Hm…" Ruby's eyes drifted around the clearing, "This place is beautiful, Sapph. How did you find it?"

"By accident," Sapphire seemed to have calmed down a bit, and sat back in the water, one arm folding over her chest and the other hand slipping between her legs to cover herself from him, "I found this place a few days ago whilst searching for Pokemon for Papa's research."

"I see…" Ruby nodded, his eyes moving around the clearing, "It's a beautiful place…"

Sapphire made no comment, and Ruby turned to her, "Perhaps… well, I'll leave you to relax then. I'm sorry for barging in like that."

"…Forget it," Sapphire sighed quietly, shaking her head as her face still burned red, "You can stay."

"Wh-what?"

"But if I catch you looking, there'll be hell to pay!" She snarled, glaring at him angrily. Ruby gave a quick nod, and the two fell into silence, staring around the clearing. Ruby's eyes drifted from the trees, to the crystal clear water, back to Sapphire. The sunlight shone off of her wet shoulders, turning her body a brilliant, radiant colour that captured his attention. Remembering her words, he forced his eyes off of her, staring out at the water again, his face turning a shade of his own name.

"Ruby…"

Ruby jumped at the sound of his own name, turning to face Sapphire, "Yeah?"

"Do you remember when we had to fight Archie and Maxie?"

"Yeah, of course…" Ruby nodded, "I… we risked our own lives for the world, and…"

"You risked your life for me… you shut me in the aircar and you went to control Groudon and Kyogre by yourself… even if Marge was there, you… were more worried about my safety than anyone else's… weren't you?"

"Yeah, of course."

"…Do you still feel the same way?"

Ruby fell silent. It was odd; he'd always tell Sapphire that she meant a lot to him and that he really liked and respected her, his own feelings being similar to hers. But now, it had changed. He didn't like her anymore, he didn't care about her.

It went much, much deeper than that.

"I…" Ruby took a deep breath, "…You could say that…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sapphire's face faltered as she glared at him suddenly, "Do you not like me anymore? Do you not care?"

"O-of course I do!" Ruby cried, his eyes widening, "D-don't get the wrong idea, it's just—"

"I see," Sapphire snapped suddenly, "Well then! I wonder what Norman would say if he found out his own son was spying on a girl stripping?!"

Ruby's eyes shot wider than Pokeballs, "W-wait!"

"Maybe I should tell him?"

"S-Sapph, you… don't!" Ruby began to panic at the thought of his father finding out about this, his life would probably end right there, and his heart sank at probably being dragged back to Johto – away from the countryside, away from the contests… away from Sapphire.

"Alright then," Sapphire grinned suddenly, "I'll tell Norman."

"WAIT—"

"Unless…" Sapphire's eye quirked, and Ruby sat up, ready for an opportunity, "You do something for me."

"Wh-what? Anything! I'll do anything!" Ruby cried, his voice pleading, "Just don't tell Dad!"

Sapphire's eyes glittered in amusement at his panic, and a playful giggle escaped her lips, "Ruby… anything?"

"A-anything Sapphire! Just don't tell Dad!"

"Well then…" Sapphire uncrossed her arms, scooting along the side of the lake a little away from him, a wide smirk crossing her face and a playful look in her eyes as she lifted a leg, teasing Ruby lightly and causing his face to light up like a Volbeat's tail.

"Get in."

"Wh-what?!" Ruby's eyes widened in disbelief, "Sapphire?!"

"Get in the water, Ruby, or I'll tell your Dad!"

"I… err…"

"You said you'd do anything, now move it!"

Quietly, Ruby stood up and moved behind the rock to hide from Sapphire's view. Sapphire, getting a little angry that he was trying to avoid her, began to build up a yell until she heard the sound of rustling and Ruby's hat and bandana fall to the side of the rock. The girl closed her mouth, watching as Ruby's shirt, shoes, socks and pants came off. There was a brief pause before the final piece of clothing hit the top, and a small splashing noise as Ruby was seen jumping into the water. Sapphire caught a glimpse of him and her face turned a shade of red, quickly covering herself again out of modest embarrassment. Ruby resurfaced, brushing his hair out of his face as he approached her, his scar still vivid on the top side of his head from all those years ago.

"Happy now?"

"Very…" Sapphire smiled, but it wasn't in a threatening or spiteful way, it was a genuine smile, "C'mon Ruby, sit next to me. I won't bite, promise."

"A-alright…" Ruby nodded slowly, moving closer to her and sitting next to her. He felt her arm wrap around his shoulders, and his body stiffened before easing up.

"See, it's not bad…" Sapphire whispered gently, "Don't be so worried."

"I… I thought you'd be furious at me…"

"I was at first, but…" Sapphire smiled, her other arm coming around and resting on his chest, "I can't stay mad at you, Ruby. Not after everything you've done for me."

"…" Ruby was silent, turning to face her, "Sapphire… when I said that I wasn't sure whether I still liked you or not… I do."

"I know you do…" Sapphire whispered, her arms tightening a little around him and her head resting on his shoulder, "I know you still like me, Ruby."

"It's… even more than that, though…" Ruby took a deep breath as Sapphire looked into his eyes quietly, "You… you mean more to me than just a close friend, Sapphire. I said I liked you, but… it goes much further than you think…"

Sapphire's eyes widened, "Ruby… you…"

"I love you, Sapph…" Ruby looked down into the water gently, "I'm really sorry I never got to tell you sooner… I was just so worried that you didn't feel the same and that you meant that you liked me in just close friends terms…"

"Ruby…" Sapphire sighed quietly, moving her hand gently to his chin to lift his head, "Look at me…"

Ruby slowly turned to face Sapphire. She wasn't hiding from him anymore, her eyes were filled with compassion and her arms were towards him, one on his shoulder and another on his chin. Her eyes half closed as she leaned in, her lips parting a little as Ruby simply sat there, his mind slowly dawning on what she was about to do.

"Who said… that I never felt the same way…?"

Her lips gently pressed against his, his own parting slightly to receive them. His arms wrapped around the back of her neck, pulling her closer so she was almost lying on him, his lips parting even further and his tongue sliding to graze across her slightly parted lips, feeling her sharp teeth and her own tongue push against his gently. It was a full twenty seconds before they broke for air, their eyes slowly opening to gaze back into each others' hearts.

"Sapphire…"

"Ruby, I never said it before… but thank you for protecting me."

"It's fine, Sapph…" Ruby smiled warmly, "I'd do it again for you, you know that."

Sapphire closed her eyes, her arms wrapping around his back and her face gently resting against his shoulder; "Ruby… I love you too…"

Ruby smiled warmly, "You're not gonna tell my Dad about this, are you?"

"You kidding…?" Sapphire giggled suddenly, reaching into the water and squeezing his thigh, causing him to blush heavily, "If I did, I'd never get to see you like this again… handsome."

Ruby gulped, but smiled, "Alright… I won't tell the Professor either… beautiful."

Sapphire giggled and leaned up a little, nibbling his shoulder with her sharp teeth before catching his lips again for another kiss. It was perfect, just the two of them, sitting there together, as natural as they could be in this beautiful surrounding. Right then, something came together that they thought would never happen, going right around them as they sat there together.

Beauty and nature… became one together.

-/-/-/-

I LOVE FRANTICSHIPPING. After reading the R/S Manga, it's my top shipping.

Tell me what you all think, please. Rate and Review!

From your Frantic writing Wolfie…

+Regii+


End file.
